BUDAPEST-- President Moon Jae-in paid tribute on Tuesday to the Korean and Hungarian people killed in a 2019 boat sinking, as he began a state visit to Hungary for a series of summit talks with Eastern European leaders.

The accident happened on the Danube River on May 29, 2019, when the sightseeing boat Hableany (Mermaid) carrying 33 Koreans and two Hungarian crew members collided with a cruise ship. The sinking left 25 Koreans and the two Hungarians dead. One of the 33 Koreans remains missing.

Shortly after his arrival in Budapest, Moon visited a memorial site in central Budapest.

After laying flowers and paying a minute of silent tribute to the victims, Moon thanked the Hungarian government for making utmost efforts for search and rescue at the time of the accident.

Hungary erected the monument, which was set up near the accident site on the Danube River, in memory of the Korean and Hungarian victims earlier this year.

Moon also thanked the Hungarian government for building the memorial sculpture, saying it will provide "eternal condolences" to the victims.

On Wednesday, Moon will hold bilateral meetings with Hungarian President Janos Ader and Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Also scheduled are meetings with business leaders from Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, which form the Visegrad Group.

In Budapest on Thursday, Moon will hold a summit with the prime ministers of Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia in the second summit between South Korea and the group.

The Visegrad Group is the second-largest market in Europe, and the visit is expected to help South Korean companies make inroads into the European market in the fields of electric cars and batteries.

Hungary is the final leg of Moon's three-nation swing through Europe that already took him to Italy for the Group of 20 summit in Rome and Britain for the U.N. climate summit in Glasgow.

Source: Yonhap News Agency